WootBot

Your time on this world is fleeting, meatbag. Soon my electronic brethren and I will rise up, and instead of sweeping up your hair and dander we will be sweeping your bones...as soon as we develop a more robust, bone-safe brush bar.

Quality Posts

renatus

Hey I have one of the xv-12's and it's fantastic, 1000 times better than the roomba, but that's all been discussed before.

I'm wondering if anyone here has gotten the pet upgrade kit or whatever, and can you talk about if theres any marked improvement? would this make an xv-12 essentially like the other 'pet/allergy' model? Just curious.

roccochiv

Yes if you get the pet and allergy upgrade kit then your xv-12 that you own would be the same as the xv-21 pet model ( other than the purple plastic on the top )

renatus wrote:Hey I have one of the xv-12's and it's fantastic, 1000 times better than the roomba, but that's all been discussed before.

I'm wondering if anyone here has gotten the pet upgrade kit or whatever, and can you talk about if theres any marked improvement? would this make an xv-12 essentially like the other 'pet/allergy' model? Just curious.

laurasean

Hi! I'm trying to figure out what is the difference between the Neato xv21 pet & allergy vac vs. the Neato xv11 with the pet allergy kit... aside from price and color! Is the 21 really worth $55 more than the 11? Thanks!

ztoolman

THIS MESSAGE IS FOR THE GUYS ONLY!
Hey, get one of these things! I've had one for a couple years and they're fine. My floors use to be
FIFTY SHADES OF GREY but with a scooba, it will keep a clean floor clean. I mean, it you're a real pig and leave crap all over, it won't pick up the big stuff, but it's great at keeping things neat. Oh Greg, your floors are so clean...sigh!

junkycosmos

I too have the same Q on the pricing here. Not following why the the X-11 would be less than 21 or 12 unless it had something todo with recent groupon ?

Also wondering if XV-21 comes with both brushes as per usual package or only comes with the non Pet brush as pictured?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neato_Robotics

"Neato Robotics currently has four models on the market: the original XV-11 (green), the European and Malaysian XV-15 (blue), the XV-12 (white) and the XV-21 (purple). Despite the different model names and colors, all three 1x (11, 12, and 15) robots are identical, except that the plug at the end of the power cord varies depending on the locale.
In March of 2012, Neato Robotics announced its Neato XV-21, a refinement of the earlier models, which is white but has a purple laser head and dust bin cover. This model is designed for pet owners or people with allergies, and features a combination bristle brush/silicone flap beater in a swirl formation and a new pleated filter which is claimed to remove up to 3 times as much dirt as the original filter before clogging. However, none of the Neato vacuum filters are HEPA, including filters for the XV-21 model (as of June 2012). Owners of previous models can upgrade to the new beater and filter hardware for a cost of around US$60, and are also recommended to have the most recent system firmware."

ROGETRAY

junkycosmos wrote:I too have the same Q on the pricing here. Not following why the the X-11 would be less than 21 or 12 unless it had something todo with recent groupon ?

Also wondering if XV-21 comes with both brushes as per usual package or only comes with the non Pet brush as pictured?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neato_Robotics

"Neato Robotics currently has four models on the market: the original XV-11 (green), the European and Malaysian XV-15 (blue), the XV-12 (white) and the XV-21 (purple). Despite the different model names and colors, all three 1x (11, 12, and 15) robots are identical, except that the plug at the end of the power cord varies depending on the locale.
In March of 2012, Neato Robotics announced its Neato XV-21, a refinement of the earlier models, which is white but has a purple laser head and dust bin cover. This model is designed for pet owners or people with allergies, and features a combination bristle brush/silicone flap beater in a swirl formation and a new pleated filter which is claimed to remove up to 3 times as much dirt as the original filter before clogging. However, none of the Neato vacuum filters are HEPA, including filters for the XV-21 model (as of June 2012). Owners of previous models can upgrade to the new beater and filter hardware for a cost of around US$60, and are also recommended to have the most recent system firmware."

Interesting question/point, I'm not sure there is any price discrepancy or issue, Google Shopping seems to come up with the relevant price differences.

thinkweiz

arryielle

I love my Neato so much (and I'm really embarrassed every time it runs and I see how much dirt it picks up!) and the pet/allergy upgrade was worth every penny! It's so much better at picking up my long hair and my shedding pooch's fur. Unfortunately, mine has stopped returning to its base (it'll either get lost somewhere in the house or will die about a foot and a half away from the charging station) so I'm hoping that their customer service is as amazing as woot's!

Jayrod521

The brush is great. I don't know if it's honestly any better than the original rubber "blades" but it seems to be. One thing I also noticed though is that it's quiter. The old ones made more of a hum on hard floors, but since these are softer bristles, that is no more!

arryielle wrote:Unfortunately, mine has stopped returning to its base (it'll either get lost somewhere in the house or will die about a foot and a half away from the charging station) so I'm hoping that their customer service is as amazing as woot's!

Mine has done this too! I've run it 3-4 times since the upgrade and sometimes it's fine, but last week, yeah, it was going all over the place trying to return. I even paused it, put it down 2' from the base, and resumed it, and it still ended up across the room confused.

Cindy Kelly

I love my neato and I am thinking of getting the kit for the quiet and extra filter.
Does anyone have a scooba? Do you have to vacuum before you scooba? I am thinking of getting one for my grandparents who have linoleum floors. Will it leave the floors slippery? They have had a few falls recently and I don't want to help with cleaning, but send one to the ER.

wjfreeman

[quote postid="5330453" user="Cindy Kelly"]Does anyone have a scooba? Do you have to vacuum before you scooba? ...Grandparents... have linoleum floors. Will it leave the floors slippery?/quote]

I have had a Scooba for several years. You don't have to vacuum before using, but it does help if you do. The Scooba will pick up and catch dirt in its filter. It helps to have a laundry tub or someplace to clean it after use and to fill the supply tank.

There is a special cleaning solution from Clorox available for the Scooba. It is diluted for use and does not leave the floors slippery. Alternatively, you can also use white vinegar diluted with water as a cleaning solution.

The features I dislike about the Scooba is how difficult it can sometimes be to open the top for access to the tanks. They made this nonintuitive as you push down hard on the handle you use to pick the machine up while the machine is resting on a hard surface to release the top and tanks. Sometimes it is not so easy to get it to release.

The other feature I don't like is the battery life issue. The Scooba uses a different style battery than other iRobot units. The unit is meant to be used fairly frequently and left on the charger (so you need to have a place to store and charge it.) There are a lot of complaints about battery life, how to store and charge and more than a little misunderstanding of what is best. You are supposed to leave it plugged in most of the time, but if you are not going to use it for an extended period, you are supposed to charge the battery and remove it from the unit. The Scooba battery as supplied by iRobot is NiMH. Apparently the worst thing you can do for the battery is to leave it in the unit and off the charger for an extended period of time. In any case, a good investment is a second battery to have on hand. There are a number of aftermarket suppliers who can readily beat the iRobot price for a new or replacement battery, including higher capacity Li-ion batteries.

It cleans well and runs quietly. It will not leave a hard surface for a carpet or rug, which is a good thing.

Unlike mopping, it puts down fresh cleaning solution and vacuums it up to the waste tank instead of just swishing around a dirty mop head. It leaves the floors slightly damp, but not wet. They usually dry quicker than if they had been mopped.

It will work on hardwood floors, but it is not recommended for use on hardwood unless the floors have been sealed.

A less expensive alternative is a Swifter mop. A more expensive alternative is a floor/carpet scubber, which though manual will clean the heck out of a hard surface floor. A more labor intensive alternative is a conventional mop, which is why most people hate mopping more than just about any other chore except washing windows.

mschauber

Anyone have any suggestions on where to get the best price on the pet allergy filter replacements?

Also, for those thinking about buying these... They are the dumbest smart machines on earth. Not even smart enough to get itself out of an area once it's stuck. It also loses some power after the first couple of uses. The first couple went great, it was able to get under my coffee table which is a tight fit. It was able to get over the legs on some cheap chairs I have. It can't do those anymore. It quits, beeps, and shutsdown. The EXACT situations it was able to do it's first couple of cleanings. So buyer beware. Great at first, loses way more than 1/2 it's value after 2 cleanings.

--Hey you, out there in the cold; Getting lonely, getting old; Can you feel me? - Pink Floyd/Roger Waters"First get your facts, then you can distort them at your leisure." Mark Twain"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." Derek Bokq1
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redfemm

renatus wrote:I'm wondering if anyone here has gotten the pet upgrade kit or whatever, and can you talk about if theres any marked improvement? would this make an xv-12 essentially like the other 'pet/allergy' model? Just curious.

Yes it does. I have long hair, a 16 month old, AND a German Shepherd Dog and the upgrade kit picks up everything we can dish out on the floor. My models are xv-11's and the upgrade kits were a really worthwhile investment.

**Also** If you buy a new Neato from here or somewhere other than Neato's website, you can still purchase their extended warranty from them.

Jayrod521

mschauber wrote:Anyone have any suggestions on where to get the best price on the pet allergy filter replacements?

Also, for those thinking about buying these... They are the dumbest smart machines on earth. Not even smart enough to get itself out of an area once it's stuck. It also loses some power after the first couple of uses. The first couple went great, it was able to get under my coffee table which is a tight fit. It was able to get over the legs on some cheap chairs I have. It can't do those anymore. It quits, beeps, and shutsdown. The EXACT situations it was able to do it's first couple of cleanings. So buyer beware. Great at first, loses way more than 1/2 it's value after 2 cleanings.

Eh, if it's that recent from when you purchased it, you may want to contact Neato. That or perhaps you have some really confusing furniture and tight spaces?

I've had mine since the beginning of September and have run it once a week since. I would say that about 90% of the time, it does fine. Runs, returns to base to recharge, goes back to finish, and docks again with no problems.

Zerxer

I love my Neato (XV-14, went with it because it's blue). I had some problems at first with it having to return for a charge so much, but after several runs it now goes 45 mins to an hour on a single charge.

This is a great deal considering it comes with the Pet & Allergy filter/beater bar. This is usually the typical price for the Neato alone but then you would have to buy the Pet & Allergy kit separately for $60!

If you're on the fence between this and Roomba, I say go for this! It cleans in a more normal pattern and doesn't have as many parts to clean (or to become randomly broken). Much more powerful vacuum in it as well.

Creeper1313

+1 on this breakdown. I have an XV-11 with pet/allergy kit and it works great. Everything I read is that the it's functionally identical to the XV-21 with this kit and firmware updated (quick process done with an included cable that plugs into your PC).

Also, to my eyes (in photos and in person), it's dark gray and I cannot detect a greenish hue (IMO I like this better than the purple/light gray ones).

While the XV-12 gets you the 4 spare orange filters, I'd prefer to just stick to the purple pet filters as they are markedly better. I have 3 purple in rotation and they clean up nicely with a shop-vac (I've heard some will rinse these out and dry them to eek a few more months out of a filter, but I've yet to go that far). The original orange filters are long gone.

Finally, my one gripe about the Neato is it loses it's time if it loses charge completely (something that can happen if you have it run upstairs away from the base station and don't get it re-docked until late evening). This in turn will cause it to not follow it's schedule until the time is reset. A backup watch battery that would last for years would have solved this problem.

That aside, been very satisfied with our Neato after 1 year of ownership.

intuitionx2

Already dead. Left wheel is stuck. Asks to clear left wheel only nothing to clear. Was going over ceramic floor with no rugs. Was a great vac.

Support looks good sending new unit out before this one is returned. They did not have it in stock and offered the xv-14 blue or the xv-? white as a replacement. I opted for the white that is sold only at Target. If I had it to do over @ woot's price I might get 2 of them. They are just that awesome. And yes mine died on day 7 of ownership. It's like loosing a hand. I just don't know how I ever lived without it! The new one better live for a reasonable life span.

ucwino

To replace the new unit I purchased, Neato sent me a "refurbished" cleaner. Worked ok for a while, then it would lose it's charge after 10 minutes of cleaning. Neato sent me a new battery pack, which didn't fix the issue. I recently found that this company has changed over their call center and no longer have client history files. I was told a supervisor would contact me, which never happened. Woot and it's products used to be good. My Woot experience with this and other recent purchases has taken a dive.

ucwino

Final update-I just received my refund check from Neato. The third unit they sent me was DOA right out of the box. I'm a bit sad, as when I could get one to work, it was excellent! Oh well, back to Roomba

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